Description and research notes
A sepia-toned photographic proof pair for the 1 Peso issue dated 1896, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Printed on photographic paper and mounted on cardstock, this pair preserves the approved face and back engravings in a tonal photographic variant distinct from black proofs of the same design.
The obverse features a formal portrait of José Gervasio Artigas within an elaborate late-nineteenth-century ornamental frame of scrollwork and guilloche, with the denomination prominently displayed in a central cartouche. The composition emphasizes symmetry, legibility, and visual authority consistent with American Bank Note Company practice of the period.
The reverse presents a pastoral scene framed by classical ornament, incorporating rural activity and landscape elements alongside a portrait medallion and the national arms. Fine cross-hatching and controlled tonal transitions maintain clarity across the broad pictorial field in sepia photographic form.
These photographic proofs were created as archival records of the finalized engravings rather than as press trials or circulation material. Preserved as a complete face-and-back ensemble and previously mounted on cardstock, the pair documents a presentation-stage photographic variant of Uruguay’s 1896 one peso design.
Certified by Professional Coin Grading Service Currency as New 62 for the face and Choice New 63 for the back, this proof pair survives in exceptional condition and represents a rare institutional artifact of American Bank Note Company production for Uruguay at the close of the nineteenth century.